Mass Effect: Agent of Justice
by bepease20
Summary: A Spectre uses his own form of justice to bring down the criminal elements in the galaxy, be it on his own or with the help of others.
1. Prologue

Prologue

He had his sights aimed at his target.

His breathing slowed down, as he prepared to take the shot.

He had been trailing his target for a number of months now waiting for the right opportunity to strike. An opportunity when his target felt he was safe. When he let his guard down for just the slightest moment. That moment was now.

Just a few hundred feet away, his target stood, speaking to one of the market vendors, probably looking to buy something. He didn't really care what he was doing. All he knew was that he deserved to die.

He took the shot.

The bullet soaring through the air. He could hear the wind whishing as the bullet zoomed toward its intended target.

The bullet reached its destination, striking the target in the forehead.

He watched as the body slunk to the ground.

His job here was done.

Onlookers ran over to see what had happened.

Shock and fear filled their eyes and showed on their faces. But they didn't know why he had been killed. But they would soon find out.

The local authorities would look into it and find out the man who had been killed was a criminal.

He had been a Red Sand dealer for the Eclipse mercenaries on Illium. An employee of a volus name Pitne For, who had been arrested a few months back for red sand smuggling. However, his associates and employees continued the operation without him, probably being led by a new boss.

He was now aimed to find out who that was and his kill here would lead him closer to finding him.

The local authorities would help in a way with their own "investigation" into the matter. Of course they wouldn't find anything linking him to the assassination, but at least they would come up with a few names he could use.

Names of course didn't matter to him, a target was a target, but in order to find these targets he needed names.

Criminals were all the same, no matter they be cat burglars or mass murderers, and they all needed to be brought to justice. Some deserved to die, while others sent to prison. That was his job. Take down the criminal underworld one criminal at a time if necessary. He was…..a Spectre.


	2. Target: Eclipse Mercenaries

Chapter 1

Target: Eclipse Mercenaries

The local authorities were now looking into the possibility that a rival gang had taken out the Red Sand dealer from Eclipse.

The Blue Suns, Blood Pack, maybe a local gang. They had no clue it was the man who just walked into their precinct.

"A salarian was just murdered this morning. I need all the information you can give me on him and his known associates."

One of the C-Sec officers turned to him.

"Who are you?" the C-Sec Officer asked him.

"Spectre. Classified business." He replied, showing the young officer his badge.

"I see." The young officer said as he grabbed the files.

The young officer handed the files to him.

"So, what's your name?" the young officer asked.

"Ventius Gallus. Thank you for the files." He said as he left the precinct and made his way back to his hideout.

For thirteen months, he had taken up residence on Illium. The authorities there were mostly Asari, but a C-Sec Office was set up, since Illium had come to a truce with the Citadel Council. In exchange for trade, Illium allowed a C-Sec Office to be set up to assist the local Asari authorities quell the criminal organizations set up there. But this truce only made the criminals more brazen, further setting up shop on the Asari colony.

Ventius was going to change that.

He reached his hideout, which was a small flat above the Eternity bar.

Ventius wasn't a fan of the place, because many slave transactions were made there. A criminal operation if any, the slave trade was. The selling and buying of living people, it sickened Ventius but his current mission was to root out the Eclipse mercenaries smuggling and selling red sand on Illium.

Ventius' flat wasn't large by any means, but it was just big enough that it had three rooms. A living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It was all he needed. He wouldn't be here much longer if the information he received gave him anything useful.

He opened the first folder, a file on the deceased salarian.

"Name: Manular Versii

Gender: Male

Height: 5'4″

Average Weight: 137 lbs.

Eye Color: Blue

Occupation: Red Sand smuggler

Known Associates:

Pitne For, Volus (imprisoned)

Niftu Cal, Volus

Dakni Kur, Volus (deceased)

Lilandra Coreit, Asari"

There was the name he needed. Lilandra Coreit, an asari matriarch who led a branch of the Eclipse mercenaries on Omega. Now that its former leaders were all deceased, she had taken control of the organization and reentered them into the galactic red sand illegal smuggling trade.

Ventius grabbed his gear and exited the apartment, making his way to the spaceport for transportation to Omega.

"Good morning sir. Looking for a good pilot today? Well then look no further than Andre Mallick, greatest human pilot in the entire Crescent Nebula." A man said as he approached Ventius.

"You'll do. I need to get to Omega." Ventius said to Andre, staring at him.

"Ummm….all right. Not liking the staring, but if it pays, I can take you to Omega. No problem." Andre said as he led Ventius to his ship.

The ship was called the Luna, after the moon in the Sol System, but unlike like the Luna moon, this ship was a dump. A waste of space. A trash heap where you threw all of your unwanted junk. But it was all Ventius had to get to Omega, so he would have to suffer through it at least until he reached Omega. Then he could parts ways with this pilot and his miserable little ship and continue with his mission.

The ship began to lift up into the air, shaking back and forth as it went.

"I need to get off of this thing soon." Ventius muttered to himself as the ship entered space.

"Grab hold of something! We are approaching the Mass Relay now!" Andre shouted over the intercom.

The ship zoomed forward and hit the Mass Relay, sending it to the Omega Nebula.

Omega, a cesspit of criminals and filth. The two went hand in hand, practically being one in the same.

Built in the mined-out husk of a metallic asteroid, Omega has been a haven for criminals, terrorists, and malcontents for thousands of years. At times the station has lain idle and abandoned for centuries, only to be reactivated by a new group of outlaws seeking a fresh start. The space station's original elegant design has given way to haphazard expansion by scrabbling factions of every species. There is no central government or unifying authority on Omega, and nobody can recall a time there ever was one.

The place was currently run by Aria T'Loak, an asari. The de facto ruler of Omega, the nominal capital of the Terminus Systems. Also known as the "Pirate Queen" of Omega, she is fiercely possessive of the space station and will do anything to protect it and maintain her dominance.

Ventius would have to go to her if he was to find Lilandra Coreit.

"Thank you the transportation. Here is your payment." Ventius said as he handed five hundred credits to Andre.

"May I join you? What if you need my piloting skills once more?" Andre asked Ventius as he began to walk away.

"I won't." And with that Ventius exited the ship and walked out into the spaceport, making his way to the Afterlife Club where Aria frequented.

The Afterlife Club was a nightclub on the mercenary-controlled space station Omega. It was comprised of three floors, with the first floor resembling the layout of Chora's Den on the Citadel, featuring a large circular bar with asari dancers performing atop the center section. Ventius had never been a fan of the Chora's Den back on the Citadel before it was torn down and replaced by the Dark Star Lounge, located in the Zakera Ward.

The second floor featured a large circular opening in the center, above which more asari dancers performed on a large ring suspended from the ceiling and surrounding a large purple holographic cylinder that extended all the way to the ceiling.

Around the outer edge of the floor was an elevated section with holographic images along the wall and booths in which most patrons of the club spend their time.

At the back was a private and well-guarded lounge from which Aria T'Loak, the asari ruler of Omega, observed. That was where Ventius needed to go.

The third floor consisted of a balcony circling the entire edge of the club featuring flaming torches on the outer edge and provided a complete view down to the second floor.

Ventius walked over to the stairs leading up to the private room where Aria sat.

"Excuse me! Stop where you are!" The Batarian in front of him said as he stepped in front of Ventius, blocking his path.

Ventius punched the Batarian in the face, knocking him back, and proceeded up towards Aria.

The other batarians in the room drew their weapons and pointed them at Ventius.

He drew his own weapon and pointed it at Aria.

"Well played Turian. Won't let anything prevent you from doing what you wish. So, why have you come to see Aria? What brings a Turian Spectre here to see me?" Aria said as she stood from the couch she sat on.

"Lilandra Coreit. Where is she?" Ventius asked, wanting the information quickly so that he could continue his mission with no more delays.

"The asari leader of the Eclipse is who you seek. I see. I have a truce with her you know. But I don't want the full force of the Citadel Council on my back and I've dealt with enough Spectres to know when to back off and let them do their job. She is in the Gozu District. Took over the clinic there. Good luck Spectre." Aria said to Ventius.

That was all he needed from her, so he nodded his head and walked out of Aria's private room.

If Aria wasn't as powerful as she was and wasn't an ally of the Citadel Council, he would have taken her out right there and then. But his mission did not concern her, so he just focused on the task at hand.

The Gozu District, just as bad as the rest of Omega, but just as worse. This was where they kept all of those not involved in any sort of criminal activities. The common citizens. The criminals just ran the place. Oppressed the people. The perfect place for him to begin making a difference. Maybe when this contract was completed, he would come back here and clean up the place. But for now, he had to keep his focus on the Eclipse mercenaries and their leader, Lilandra Coreit.

The Eclipse mercenaries, a dangerous bunch. Not as connected as the Blue Suns, but they still had some pull. More than the Blood Pack at least. Can't go anywhere as an organization without some diversity. The Blood Pack lacked that. Stuck with only Krogan and Vorcha.

A man saw Ventius enter the district and ran back into his "home". Home to him was a small apartment, barely big enough to hold a family of mice. But that was what the people here were relegated to. The bottom of the barrel. While the criminals lived in splendor, the people lived in squalor. It was sickening. Just like on the Citadel. Except, it was politicians who lived in splendor. But politicians and criminals lived in the same family tree. Not by blood, but by actions.

The Clinic was a larger building, bigger than the apartments at least. A sentry stood outside, guarding the entrance. Probably a hired gun. Didn't want to put their own in harm's way, so they got some nobody who needed the money, gave him a gun and stuck him outside to "keep out" anyone who tried to enter.

Ventius didn't need to kill him. Just scare him away so he could just walk in there and start putting some bullets in Eclipse mercenaries.

"You don't belong here! Stay back or I'll shoot!" the guard shouted.

Ventius quickly walked right up to him and put his pistol right to the man's head.

"You don't belong here. They are just using you as bait. They don't care if you live or die. They know you won't live long enough to claim those credits they promised you. Get out of here. Start a new life. Better yet, leave Omega. Here take 500 credits. Now go." Ventius motioned the man to leave as he opened the door to the clinic, drawing his sniper rifle as he entered.

An Eclipse mercenary came walking out from one of the rooms, unaware that someone had just came into the clinic.

Ventius drew his knife and snuck up behind the mercenary, stabbing the mercenary through the back and holding their mouth as not to attract the attention of any other mercenaries that may be inside.

He dragged the body and placed it behind the counter and then proceeded down the hallway towards the examination rooms.

He looked in each room, seeing there were people tied up and cuffed to chairs and beds.

He passed by one room and saw a batarian struggling to break free. From what he could tell, the batarian was wording something to him. He opened the small hatch so he could hear what the batarian was trying to tell him.

"Aria! Tell Aria I am here! Tell her to send someone to help me!"

Ventius quickly closed the hatch and ran to cover as he heard footsteps coming his way.

"Where are we with the shipments?" A voice said.

"They are continuing as scheduled." Another voice replied.

"Good. Have Doctor Samos up the dosage for the patients. Don't want them saying anything they shouldn't. No one is to know about what is going on here." The first voice said.

The footsteps passed by, towards the office at the end of the hall.

Ventius rolled out from behind his cover and followed the voices as they entered the office.

"Hands up!" Ventius shouted as he kicked the door open.

The voices that had spoken were Eclipse mercenaries. The one that had just sat down behind the desk must be Lilandra Coreit.

Ventius turned his gun towards the Eclipse Vanguard and put a bullet in his leg.

The Vanguard collapsed to the ground, holding his leg where he had been shot.

"Lilandra Coreit!" Ventius shouted.

The woman behind the desk stood up and held her hands above her head.

"I am Lilandra Coreit. Who might you be? From the looks of you, you are a Spectre. What would a Spectre want with the likes of me?" The Asari woman asked him.

"The red sand trade. You are involved in it. I am here to bring you in to pay for your crimes." Ventius replied to her.

"You aren't at all concerned about what I going on here? That is puzzling." The asari woman said.

"I will find out what you were doing here. But right now, I am bringing you in to the authorities." Ventius replied, approaching Lilandra.

"What authorities? There are none here on Omega. Aria T'Loak runs things around here. And she lets us do what we please." Lilandra said with a grin.

"Well I don't think Aria would like to hear that you have one of her people locked up in one of your "examination" rooms, would she? So you either face justice at the hands of the law or I bring you to Aria and let her deal with you any way she pleases? What is it going to be Lilandra? Citadel law or Aria law?" Ventius asked as he handcuffed her.

Lilandra dropped her head and nodded to Ventius.

"Ventius to control. Send a detachment to the clinic on Omega. There are "patients" here who need help and extraction. A number of Eclipse mercenaries also need to be brought in. Bringing in suspect named Lilandra Coreit." Ventius said to Citadel control.

"Understood Spectre Ventius. Detachment on the way. Will notify Aria of the situation." The operator replied to Ventius.

Dr. Samos? Who was he? No matter. Ventius would just have to ask Lilandra when they returned to the Citadel. Then he would go investigating. Allowing some psycho surgeon to roam free was something he just could not allow.

Dr. Samos, I am coming for you, Ventius thought to himself as he brought Lilandra on board the Alliance shuttle which would transport her to the Citadel to face justice for her crimes.


	3. Target: Dr Samos

Chapter 2

Target: Dr. Samos

Lilandra Coreit had been processed and now sat in prison waiting to be tried for her crimes. She would then be sent to the Citadel's new prison on the planet Maitrum.

Ventius now focused on his next target. He pulled out the file pertaining to the doctor known only as Samos.

"Name: Doctor Samos

Gender: Male

Height: 5'5″

Average Weight: 131 lbs.

Eye Color: Green

Occupation: Former Surgeon

Known Crimes: Illegal Drug Smuggling, Illegal Organ Smuggling, Medical Malpractice

Known Associates:

Lilandra Coreit, Asari/ Employer

Doctor Quaru, Salarian (deceased)/ Partner"

Didn't say where he had worked or where he would have gone after Omega. But that was his job. To find those who did not wish to be found.

Dr. Samos had been his medical license revoked after allegations that he was experimenting on patients, using illegal drugs. Now, there were new allegations that he was now illegally obtaining patients and using illegal drugs on his "patients" and harvesting their internal and vital organs for "research" purposes.

Ventius sat aboard his new ship, the Aequitas on his way to the salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh to find any information he could on "Dr. Samos."

Sur'Kesh the salarian homeworld, compared to the jungles of Earth by humans: pretty to look at, teeming with life, uncomfortable to live in and dangerous to the unwary. The technophilic salarians had significant pollution and waste problems early in the development of their society. They also embraced social solutions just as quickly, and through complex breeding rules, Sur'Kesh now maintains a crowded but sustainable population. The planet tends to be wetter than Earth, and salarian cities spare no expense to collect and provide fresh water, as one might expect from an amphibious species.

Ventius looked through the ships front visor and saw the planet Sur'Kesh as his ship approached.

Waiting at the landing pad were a few Salarian diplomats and scientists. Ventius would have to play diplomat for now, just long enough to get information about the "good doctor" before he hightailed it out of there.

He wasn't a big fan of the salarians. They thought themselves better than other races because of their scientific and technological skills and background. He had worked with a salarian once. He had forgotten his name, but remembered the whole time he had worked with him, the salarian did nothing but brag about all the times he won awards and medals for his "ground-breaking" work in the salarian medical field.

"Welcome Spectre Ventius. I am Dalatrass Huimer. I believe you are here to gather information on Dr. Samos. This way." The Salarian diplomat said, motioning for Ventius to enter his household.

They entered a large hall, a large dining table sat in the middle of the room. They entered a small room off to the side, while everyone else waited outside.

"So, what do you wish to know about Dr. Samos?" the Dalatrass asked Ventius.

"His whereabouts." Ventius quickly replied.

"Well that is something I do not know. I apologize, but I cannot help you. All I have for you is some files on his previous work here." The Dalatrass said handing Ventius a number of files.

Ventius got up from his seat and angrily stormed out of the office.

"I see you are quite angered. The Dalatrass and our government would have no knowledge of Dr. Samos. However, we at the STG have been investigating him. I do believe we may have a possible location where he could have gone." A salarian said as he approached Ventius.

"Well, where is he?" Ventius quickly asked as he made a grab for the file in the salarian's hands.

"Ah ah ah! That is not how this works. You promise to bring me with you to capture Samos and then I give you his location. Understood?" the salarian said to Ventius.

Ventius had an aggravated look on his face, but he knew he would have to bring the salarian along if he wanted to capture Samos.

"Fine. You can come. But you alone. No one else. Get your gear ready. We leave immediately." Ventius said as he made his way back to the Aequitas.

The salarian STG agent brought his gear onboard and they got on their way.

"So, where is Samos?" Ventius asked him.

"Samos? He is on the Erinle." The STG agent said to Ventius.

"Understood." Ventius said as he set course for the salarian world of Erinle.

Erinle was a garden world, currently in its last stages of habitability. While its soil still supports agriculture, its animal biodiversity has fallen to record lows, and the most successful remaining life forms are toxic blue-green algae and insect-like pest species. A large salarian colony was currently trying to restore biodiversity to the planet, but setbacks are a fact of life. Mineral and fuel mining remains lucrative, however, and Erinle has a thriving spaceport that refuels many ships passing through the Terminus Systems.

Ventius pulled the Aequitas into the spaceport and grabbed his gear.

"We believe he is located in the outskirts of the colony. A structure has been seen out there that he may be using for his work." The agent said as they exited the ship.

Ventius looked around and saw a number of yellow armored men walking around the spaceport.

"Eclipse mercenaries. Figured as much. Samos was working with a group of them led by an asari woman named Lilandra Coreit on Omega." Ventius explained.

"Lilandra Coreit? Never heard of her. We should go before we get caught." The STG agent said as he led Ventius to the shuttle which would take them into Erinle's outskirts.

The shuttle shot out of the hangar and brought them a few miles from Samo's suspected location.

"This is it. Be ready for anything." Ventius said as he exited the shuttle and sprinted in the direction of the hideout.

The STG agent followed closely behind. Keeping at just about the same pace as Ventius, but a few feet behind.

Salarians weren't a fast people, but this one seemed to be able to keep up with him. Probably just for show and in fear of embarrassment.

Ventius took point and entered the hideout first, with the agent following behind to cover the rear.

"The place looks empty. All of the cobwebs and dirt seem to suggest, there hasn't been activity here in years." Ventius said as he made some observations about his surroundings.

Ventius heard the sound of a gun, its safety being turned off.

"All right Turian! Hands up and turn around!"

Ventius knew just who had their gun on him.

He turned around to see the STG agent pointing his pistol at him, with his finger on the trigger.

"I had a feeling it was you…Samos. Taking on the guise of an STG agent and luring me out to a secluded location to "remove" all loose ends who asked too many questions." Ventius said as he slowly brought his hands above his head.

"Don't speak! Just don't speak! Those fools didn't know a thing. They still don't. My research. My experiments. They would have changed things. They would have completely reshaped the way we conduct medical procedures. What we use to perform them and how we perform them. But they deemed my work, too radical, too extreme. But I will show them. I will remove you from the equation. I will return to Sur'Kesh and be the galaxies greatest medical mind!" Samos said as he pulled the trigger.

A clicking sound brought a look of confusion and shock to Samos' face.

"What?! What happened? What is going on?!" Samos angrily yelled, as he began pounding on his weapon.

Ventius smiled and slowly began approaching him.

"Looks like your gun is out of rounds Samos." Ventius said as he grabbed the weapon from his hands.

Samos turned to run, but Ventius grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him to the ground.

"You will pay for this! Eclipse mercenaries are on their way now to eliminate you!" Samos screamed at Ventius.

"Shut up!" Ventius said, taking the butt of his gun and striking Samos across the face, knocking him unconscious.

A sound from outside, signaled to Ventius that the Eclipse mercenaries had arrived.

He pulled out his rifle and prepared for a fight.

A mercenary entered through the hideout door and was quickly struck down by a shot from Ventius' rifle.

Another mercenary made an attempt to enter the hideout, but he too was quickly struck down.

Ventius could hear a voice shouting commands to the mercenaries, telling them to move in or find another way in.

Ventius knew the place only had one way in and one way out, so the mercenaries would have to attempt to charge in at full force. But he knew they weren't that bold and would try for as long as they could to wait it out and have him use up all of his rounds before charging in. Sending decoys or scouts in as they gathered more reinforcements.

Ventius pulled a pack of grenades out of his bag and began setting them to detonate on impact.

He quickly ran to the entrance and tossed them outside.

A large explosion and loud screams told him that he had hit his target.

He grabbed Samos unconscious body and began carrying him outside.

The Eclipse mercenaries were attempting to regroup and recover after the unexpected offense from Ventius.

He pulled out his pistol and began firing on the unsuspecting mercenaries.

One mercenary tried to get up from the aftermath of the blast, but Ventius fired a round, striking the mercenary in the left side of his head.

Another tried and got a round in the chest for his efforts.

Ventius sprinted the best he could with Samos on his shoulders and tossed him into the shuttle the mercenaries had used to get to the hideout.

"Ventius to control. I have Dr. Samos in custody and need a detachment sent to Erinle in the Hourglass Nebula, Osun System. Eclipse mercs on site." Ventius said to the operator.

"Understood Spectre Ventius. Sending detachment now. Fifth Fleet is in the area. They will be there for extraction and clean-up." The operator replied to Ventius.

He returned to the spaceport and left Samos with the local authorities where Fifth Fleet would pick him up.

Ventius boarded the Aequitas and left the spaceport.

"Control, what are my new orders?" Ventius asked, ready to move on to a new assignment.

"Your presence is required on the SSV Aradonis." The operator replied to Ventius, giving him his new orders.

"Understood control."


	4. Target: SSV Aradonis

Chapter 3

Target: SSV Aradonis

The SSV Aradonis was an Alliance class vessel. A Cruiser. Cruisers were middle-weight combatants, faster than dreadnoughts, and more heavily-armed than frigates. Cruisers are the standard patrol unit, and often lead frigate flotillas. Cruisers cannot land on medium or high-gravity worlds, but do possess the ability to land on low-gravity planets.

"This is the SSV Aradonis. State your name and business here." A voice said over the comm.

"Ventius Gallus. Spectre. Council business." Ventius replied over the comm.

Ventius sat, waiting a moment for the bridge to respond.

"Sorry for the inconvenience Spectre Ventius. You may board." The voice responded.

"No problem. You're just doing your job." Ventius said as he brought the Aequitas up alongside the Aradonis.

A small enclosed bridge attached to the Aequitas and Ventius boarded the Aradonis.

He was met by the commanding officer of the vessel, Admiral Theodore Pironage.

"Pleasure to meet you Spectre. We are having trouble here that we believe you can assist us with." The Admiral said to Ventius.

"What problem is that?" Ventius quickly asked him.

"Well…..it is better that I show you. This way." The Admiral hesitated, but then led Ventius to the barracks.

Two soldiers stood outside the doors and saluted the Admiral, as the two men entered the room.

A body lay face down in a pool of blood, just beside one of the bunks.

"Pvt. Erica Daniels. 29 years old. Transferred to the Aradonis six months ago from the SSV Tasker." The Admiral explained as Ventius looked around the crime scene.

A homicide. The private had a blow to the back of the head. She had ligature marks around her wrists and neck.

"Who is your lead investigator into this matter?" Ventius asked, looking up at the Admiral.

"Well….you are." The Admiral answered.

"Swell. You don't even have someone investigating this from on your own ship. I'm going to have to add that into my report. You do understand that don't you Admiral?" Ventius said to the Admiral as he continued to comb over the crime scene.

The Admiral's face went pale and he made a sort of disappointed look, knowing he had screwed up.

"I will get someone to assist you immediately Spectre." The Admiral said as he began to leave.

"Someone qualified Admiral." Ventius shouted to him as he left.

"Of course Spectre. On it." The Admiral shouted back as he entered the elevator.

Ten minutes later, a soldier with a red armband around his right arm and a camera in his hands entered the room.

"Corporal Tannenbaum at your service Spectre." The young soldier said as he saluted him.

"Not necessary. Now, how qualified are you to be handling this investigation?" Ventius asked Tannenbaum.

"Well…I did take some classes at the academy on crime scene investigation and some law classes as well." The young corporal answered.

Ventius shook his head, but he knew he would need some sort of help if he was to solve this case.

"Fine. You'll have to do. Now, be useful and take down some notes." Ventius said to Tannenbaum.

"Yes sir." He quickly answered, taking out a notepad from his pocket.

"The victim was bludgeoned over the back of the head. Probably with the tail end of a gun. Most likely a rifle or assault weapon. Ligature marks on both wrists and around the neck. Blood spatter suggests the killer stood behind our victim. However, that was after they had a confrontation over here. The victim dropped a handkerchief, suggesting she was crying. She turned to leave, but the killer turned her around and pushed her into one of the bed posts, as evidenced by the small amount of blood left behind. She pushed him, but without much luck. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground. As she was getting back up, he pulled his gun a slammed it into the back of her head. Then he continued to repeatedly strike her until she was dead." Ventius explained, as Tannenbaum took notes.

"Where do the ligature marks fit in?" Tannenbaum asked Ventius.

Ventius quickly turned to look at Tannenbaum.

"The bed in the corner. She was tied down there." Ventius said as he went over to the bed.

"Just as I suspected. Small traces of rope left behind on the bed posts. A lover's quarrel it seems." Ventius said to Tannenbaum.

"Maybe it was a love triangle or she was cheating on one guy with another." Tannenbaum suggested.

"That could be true. You are stationed on this ship; do you know if Private Daniels was involved with anyone?" Ventius asked him.

"Sorry. I work in a different section of the ship. But I think Sergeant Hank Cash would know. He is in charge of overseeing this section of the ship." Tannenbaum replied.

Ventius went to the two guards outside.

"No one comes in here without my permission. Not even the Admiral. Understood?" Ventius said to the two guards.

"Yes sir!" They both said, saluting him as he made his way to the Sergeant's office.

"Ah! You must be the Spectre investigating the Daniels' murder. If I can assist you in any way, I will." The Sergeant said to Ventius.

"Actually, you can. Do you know if Private Daniels was romantically involved with anyone on the ship? Maybe a fellow soldier." Ventius questioned him.

" . I do believe she was involved with someone now that I think about it. Let me see here…..Here it is. Private Johnston. Eric Johnston." The Sergeant replied.

"Thank you Sergeant." Ventius said as he went to the cafeteria to find Private Johnston.

Ventius entered the cafeteria and looked around.

"Private Johnston!" he shouted.

All of the soldiers in the cafeteria turned their attention to Ventius as he slowly walked up and down the aisles between the tables.

"What can I do for you?" a soldier said as he stood up from his seat.

"Are you Private Eric Johnston?" Ventius asked him.

"Yeah. I'm Eric Johnston. What do you want from me?" the young soldier asked with a grin on his face.

Ventius grabbed him and slammed him down on top of the table.

"Ok. You wanted the hard way. So be it. I am here to ask you about Erica Daniels." Ventius said to Johnston.

"All right. All right. I'll talk. Just let me go. But we have to talk somewhere in private." Johnston nervously and quickly said to Ventius.

Ventius let go of Johnston and led him into one of the side rooms and closed the door.

"Ok. Talk." Ventius said to Johnston.

"Ok. Me and Erica were…..intimate. But I didn't kill her I swear." Johnston was saying.

"The rope marks? That was you wasn't it?" Ventius asked, showing him pictures of the marks on her wrists and neck and on the bed posts.

"Yeah. We…you know. She liked it that way. Wild, crazy, and strange. That's how it usually is with military girls." Johnston replied to Ventius.

"Who else knew about your "activities" and did anyone have a problem with it?" Ventius asked him.

"Everyone knew we were together. But the only one who really had a problem with it was Vickson. Clark Vickson. He works down in Engineering." Johnston answered.

"All right, but if I find out you were lying to me, I will bash your brains in." Ventius said as he motioned for Johnston to leave.

He quickly ran out of the room and back over to his table.

Ventius left the room and made his way down to engineering to find Clark Vickson.

"Are you Clark Vickson?" He asked, approaching a man fixing one of the thermal couplings.

"Yes. I am Clark Vickson. What can I help you with?" the man asked.

Clark Vickson was a short man, with brown curly hair, big rimmed glasses, and a worn out engineers outfit.

"What can you tell me about Erica Daniels and Eric Johnston? I heard you had a problem with their relationship." Ventius said to the young engineer.

"Couldn't even call it a relationship. Eric only went to her when he wanted sex. They weren't "in love" or anything. My problem with that? He didn't genuinely care about her. And no I didn't kill her because of it. I would never." Clark explained to Ventius.

"I believe you. Didn't like the looks of Private Johnston anyways. So you believe he killed her?" Ventius asked Clark.

"No." Clark quickly replied.

"No? Why do you say that?" Ventius asked him, now even more confused than before.

"He couldn't have done it. I walked in on him with Jessica Gallows around the time she was killed. Only reason I know what time she died was from the coroner's report." Clark said to Ventius.

"Coroner's report? The Admiral said no one had been investigating the murder before I arrived." Ventius said to Clark.

"Really? He said that? He is the one who wrote up the coroner's report in the first place. I thought you knew." Clark said, now realizing Ventius hadn't known about that piece of information.

"Thank you for your help Clark." Ventius said as he left engineering for the bridge.

"Spectre Gallus how goes the investigation?" the Admiral asked as Ventius entered his office.

"You didn't tell me you filed a coroner's report. Why withhold that information Admiral?" Ventius angrily asked.

"All right. Fine. I forgot to mention the coroner's report. I had the medic's check the crime scene before you arrived. The determined the time of death." The Admiral explained.

"How do I know they didn't taint the crime scene and move things around and remove evidence?" Ventius was getting more infuriated by the minute.

"Whoa! Slow down there Spectre. How dare you accuse me of obstruction and crime scene tampering?! I should have you removed from my ship immediately. But, there is still a murder investigation that needs to be solved. Private Daniels killer is still walking free. Find her killer Spectre. Give her some peace." The Admiral said as he ushered Ventius out of his office.

Ventius stormed back to the crime scene to find Tannenbaum standing with a huge grin on his face.

"What is it Tannenbaum?" Ventius asked him.

"I found something that could help solve the case." Tannenbaum replied as he led Ventius over to the body.

"So I turned the body over, I know that was my mistake, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have found this note in her hand." He continued, handing Ventius the blood-stained note.

Ventius opened the note and began to read it.

"Erica,

You have disappointed me time and time again.

Eric is no good for you.

He is sneaking around with Jessica Gallows behind your back.

I can be there in his stead.

I will treat you right.

I would never do anything to hurt you.

Make the right decision.

Yours always and forever,

H"

"Who is H?" Ventius asked, after reading the note.

Ventius thought for a moment and thought back to the observations he made while trudging through the ship.

"I think I know whose handwriting this is. Call the Admiral and tell him to meet me on the 3rd floor. We are going to apprehend Erica Daniels killer." Ventius said to Tannenbaum as he exited the barracks.

Ventius took the elevator down to the third floor and entered the office.

"Spectre! Welcome back! Any lucky with the investigation?" Sergeant Cash asked him.

"I know. I know it was you "H". You killed her." Ventius said, taking the note and slamming in down in front of the Sergeant.

Cash picked the note up from his desk and looked it over and then placed it back down.

"… She could have done better than that pig Johnston and that little weasel Vickson. I would have been there. I would have cared. But she just couldn't give them up could she?! I would have done anything for her and she tossed that away! Fine! I admit. I killed her. But if I can't have her, no one can!" Cash shouted as the Admiral, Tannenbaum, and a detachment of guards entered the office.

"Sergeant Hank Cash. You are under arrest for the murder of Private Erica Daniels.

You have the right to remain silent when questioned.

Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future.

If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning, if you wish.

If you decide to answer any questions now, without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney.

Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?" the Admiral was saying as the soldiers led Sergeant Cash away.

"Good work Spectre Gallus. Job well done. As well as you Corporal Tannenbaum. Corporal, you are promoted to lead detective and investigator on the SSV Aradonis." The Admiral said to Tannenbaum.

Ventius walked behind the Admiral and placed him in handcuffs.

"What is the meaning of this? I demand an answer immediately!" the Admiral was shouting at Ventius.

"Admiral Theodore Pironage. You are under arrest for obstruction and crime scene tampering. 20 years for obstruction and no less than 5 years for evidence tampering. Tannenbaum, read him his rights and bring word to Captain Eihtner that he is now in charge until the Citadel Council and the Alliance can deal with the situation. Tell the Captain, he is to bring the Aradonis to the Citadel, pending investigation." Ventius said to Tannenbaum.

Tannenbaum nodded and led a screaming Admiral Pironage away.

"Control. Situation on Aradonis is cleared. Have Fifth Fleet meet up with the ship on the way to the Citadel. Have a detachment go on board and take charge of the situation. Corporal Steven Tannenbaum is to be transferred to the investigation bureau and properly trained for detective work in accordance with his assistance in the investigation. Engineer Clark Vickson is to be transferred to the Council command ship with new orders. Admiral Theodore Pironage and Sergeant Hank Cash are to be brought into custody. Corporal Tannenbaum will read you the charges for both. Privates Eric Johnston and Jessica Gallows are to be transferred as well. They are in a "relationship" so reiterate that point to both of them upon arrival." Ventius said to the operator.

"Understood Spectre Ventius. New orders await you on Illium." The operator replied.

Back to Illium it seemed. Great, Ventius thought to himself, disappointed and aggravated that he was being sent back to Illium. But orders were orders.

Justice had to be brought to those who thought themselves above the law. He would be the one to deliver that justice.


	5. Target: Illium Slave Trade

Chapter 4:

Target: Illium Slave Trade

Back on Illium and already wanting to leave.

Ventius sat in his apartment, awaiting orders from the higher ups or the Citadel Council relayed through an operator and handed down to him.

"Control to Spectre Ventius. Assignment is in. Code 108." The operator relayed to him.

"Understood Control. Ventius out."

Slavers. The slave trade may be legal on Illium, but the Citadel Council was secretly working to bring down the slave trading organization. It was sneaky and they were doing things behind the local government, but as long as the job couldn't be traced back to them, the council was ok with the jobs continuing.

Ventius was the embodiment of discreet. Well at least in his own mind he was.

He headed down to the Eternity bar, as that was probably where he would get information about Illium's slave trade.

Many of the slave transactions occurred in the bar, so he might get lucky and catch them before they can even transfer the funds. Or he could wait until after the transaction and bring down both the buyer and the seller.

It wasn't called slavery on Illium. They preferred to use the term "indentured servitude", but it was just a nicer way of saying slavery.

"What can I do for you today?" the bartender asked Ventius as he sat down at the bar.

"Information on the "indentured services" going on around here." Ventius replied shaking his head when the bartender offered him a drink.

"So, you're a Spectre I see. Thought the Council had an arrangement with the Illium government concerning the "trade" here?" The bartender asked him.

"They do. This is off the books." Ventius replied back.

"Oh. I see. Well if you're looking for an "indentured servant", that Volus is the one you want to see." The bartender said motioning a finger towards the volus sitting at one of the back tables.

Ventius nodded to the bartender and left a few credits on the bar as a "thanks for the information".

"Excuse me. I am here to see you about obtaining an indentured servant." Ventius calmly said to the volus.

"So, you wish to acquire an indentured servant. Any certain skills you need them to have?" the volus asked him.

"No." Ventius quickly answered, looking to see if there were any bodyguards or hidden associates of the volus around, just in case things got out of hand.

"Well then. I do have one here on Illium I can sell to you. Well their contract anyways. This isn't slavery you know." The volus was saying.

Yeah, not slavery alright. Be it their contracts or their physical selves, it was all still slavery.

The volus motioned for a Krogan to leave and bring the indentured servant with him.

"Has a skill set you might find desirable. Knowledgeable in AI work and very good with anything mechanical." The volus was saying as the Krogan led a Quarian into the room.

"Introduce yourself." The volus said to the Quarian.

"Lenak vas Moreh." The Quarian introduced himself as.

"Ventius Gallus." He replied to the Quarian.

"Good. Now….." the volus began to say.

"You never introduced yourself." Ventius said, hoping to obtain the volus' name so that when they parted ways, he could track him down and find out where the suppliers of these indentured servants were.

"Dulenaar." The volus replied.

Dulenaar, he had to remember that name for later.

"So, this indenture servant's contract is worth…hmmmm….5000 credits." The volus replied, grinning as he did.

"5000 it is." Ventius said, pulling out the amount.

The volus face turned from a large grin to a look of surprise and dumbfounded.

"Well….I.I.I.I…all right fine. Here is his contract. Now if our business here is done, I have somewhere to be." Dulenaar said as he got up from his seat and left with the Krogan following close behind.

"So what would you have me do?" the Quarian asked him.

Ventius turned to the Quarian, almost forgetting he was there.

"I release you from you contract. Now go." Ventius said as he began to leave the room.

"But…..I…" the Quarian began saying.

"Return to the Migrant Fleet where you belong." Ventius said as he left.

"Control this is Ventius. A Quarian will arrive at the spaceport within a few minutes. Return him to the Migrant Fleet." Ventius said over the comm.

"Understood Spectre Ventius." The operator replied back.

The volus was getting on a shuttle to leave the main hub.

No more on Illium, hmmph! Knew you were lying through your teeth the moment you started speaking.

The shuttle was heading towards a large skyscraper with a large sign saying, Dantius Tower Two.

An asari named Nassana used to own the place and not too long ago, had been assassinated. Rumors said it was a drell who had done it.

That was not what was important right now. It seemed that this was now being used as the central hub for all of the slave trade on Illium.

Follow the volus and he would find who was in charge of the operation.

Ventius exited his own shuttle and began to make his way to the entrance.

"Excuse me, but do you have an appointment with us today?" a young asari woman asked.

She must be the receptionist. The place had been finished a number of months ago, so it wasn't the unfinished pile of mess it was when Nassana had run the place.

"If I were you, I would take what I could and get out of here. Don't want you to get hurt, do we?" He said to the young asari.

She looked into his eyes and knew he was being sincere and that he was telling the truth about something potentially going to happen.

She grabbed what she could and ran to the nearest shuttle out of there, as Ventius took out his sniper rifle and attached a silencer to the barrel.

A guard walked out from one of the side offices on his way to the elevator.

Ventius lifted his sniper rifle and shot the guard, sending him over the railing in the middle of the first floor, down to the lower levels.

An employee was leaving another office as Ventius grabbed him and quietly brought him to the ground.

"Who owns this place?" Ventius asked the employee.

"Umm…umm…." The employee was stuttering.

"Spit it out already!" Ventius shouted at the employee.

"A Krogan named Turag. He is on the top floor. His office is over the large bridge and through the steel doors. Please don't kill me!" the employee was blurting out as a way to save his own skin.

Ventius picked him up and shoved him towards the front entrance.

He then picked up his rifle and moved on, heading into the elevator.

Top floor it is, he thought as he pressed the elevator button.

The elevator began to rise up a number of floors, but began to slow down as it reached the 13th floor.

"Damn!" Ventius said as he lifted himself up towards the elevator ceiling and held himself up.

The elevator doors opened and a number of guards walked in.

Just great. Going to have to find a way to quietly eliminate them all without attracting any attention, he thought to himself as he began trying to formulate a plan of action.

He reached into his belt and found a flash grenade.

He pulled out the pin and dropped it into the middle of the guards.

Before they could react, the grenade went off, blinding and distorting the guards and Ventius in the process.

Ventius eyes were blurred and he could barely see anything, but the same went for the guards. He drew his pistol and fired down at the unsuspecting guards.

The guards quickly fell to the rain of gunfire being fired down at them.

Ventius dropped down from the ceiling when all of the guards were finished off, just as the elevator doors opened to the 19th floor.

Not quite the top floor, but it would have to do.

Ventius stepped out, redrawing his sniper rifle as he crouched down into a sneaking position and began to move out into the 19th floor.

It looked like this was where many of the indentured servants were kept until they were either sold or if they couldn't find a buyer, the person was "sent away" from there, meaning they were most likely killed.

Ventius saw the volus walking in front of the, what were most likely cell doors, looking for the next "indentured servant" he could sell.

Ventius snuck up behind him and hit him in the back of the head with is gun, knocking him unconscious.

He placed handcuffs on him and tossed him into one of the cells.

A guard came around the corner and Ventius quickly put a round in him before moving on.

There was a service elevator at the end of the hall, which most likely led to the top floor where Turag was.

The elevator was being guarded by 5-6 guards and a number of mechs.

"Let's see what we have here." Ventius said as he looked around to see if there was anything he could use to his advantage.

He took note of a loose ceiling panel just above the guards, a fire extinguisher on the wall and a grenade with a loose pin on one of the guard's belts.

Three shots was all he needed.

He fired the first shot which hit the fire extinguisher, blowing it open and disorienting the guards.

He then shot the ceiling panel which fell on the mechs, crushing them under the weight.

He took the final shot, hitting the pin off of the grenade, where the explosion finished off the already disoriented guards.

The service elevator was now clear, as Ventius entered it bringing him to the top floor where he could deal with Turag.

The elevator doors opened and Ventius entered the office where Turag and a number of guards stood with guns drawn.

"Knew you were Spectre the moment you spoke to Dulenaar. He told me about you. The Quarian was lucky you tipped off the Alliance or we would have surely put him down before he could even think about leaving Illium. But no matter. You are here now and I think I would rather have your head hanging on my wall than some nobody Quarian." Turag said as he pulled out a shotgun.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Ventius asked as he lifted his sniper rifle up from his side and pointed it at Turag.

"Yeah I'm sure." Turag said as he shot a round towards Ventius.

He rolled out of the way and shot a round of his own, striking Turag just below the stomach.

Turag held the wound a collapsed as the guards began firing on Ventius.

Ventius fired off a few rounds, hitting one of the guards, but more reinforcements came out of the service elevator.

"Ventius to control. Need assistance at Dantius Tower Two. Heavy resistance." Ventius shouted over the comm.

"Understood Spectre Ventius. Sending in a gunship now to assist." The operator replied.

Ventius looked out the window behind Turag's desk, seeing an Alliance gunship moving in towards the tower.

It began firing a large arsenal of rounds at the increasing number of guards in Turag's office, bringing them down with ease.

The pilot saluted Ventius and flew away from the wreckage and carnage left behind.

The local authorities were moving in to clean up the scene and investigate.

"Control. Have the local authorities release all prisoners. Minus the cell with the volus Dulenaar inside. Have them transfer him into Alliance custody." Ventius said over the comm.

"Understood Spectre Ventius. Return to your apartment and await further orders." The operator responded as Ventius left the scene.


	6. Target: Batarian Pirates

Chapter 5

Target: Batarian Pirates

Ventius had returned to his apartment once more after the events at the Dantius Tower involving the Illium slave trade.

He had been listening to the news reports concerning recent events, involving the "jobs" Ventius had done recently.

"Alliance officials are going to trial today after an investigation on the SSV Aradonis turned up evidence that Sergeant Hank Cash murdered a fellow soldier and the ship's former Admiral, Theodore Pironage is also being brought to trial on charges of obstruction and evidence tampering after an internal investigation determined he had withheld information crucial to the case. Ship medics involved in the supposed cover-up have been suspended from active duty pending investigation."

Ventius turned off the news when he heard his comm going off.

"Control to Spectre Ventius. We have a new assignment for you. A radical group of Batarian pirates are harassing the local populace on the planet Benning in the Arcturus Stream, Euler System."

"Understood control." Ventius said as he left the apartment and made for the spaceport.

"Well now. I see you are working for the Citadel Council and the Alliance. You know they haven't had the best track record when it comes to Spectres. Saren. Remember him. Tried to destroy the galaxy with the geth. So I wouldn't be too trusting of the council. They can turn on you in an instant. Remember that." The man said as he walked away.

Ventius ignored him and boarded the Aequitas, setting course for Benning.

Benning, the nearest garden world to Arcturus Station, is the primary source of its food supply and an important staging area for starship maintenance and repair. Occupying the planet would be key in any attempt to retake the system's relay.

For a number of years now, the Alliance had attempted to take up residence there and implant its own government, but failed after the current Benning government refused the negotiations the Alliance had come up with during their talks.

The Aequitas landed at the Benning spaceport, where he was welcomed by the planet's governor, Aldan Threk.

"Governor Threk, I was told there are Batarian pirates harassing ships in this system. I will need some assistance with taking them down. I need to know where they are and who is leading them." Ventius said to the governor.

"But of course Spectre. The Batarian pirates are currently above the Arcturus Station. They are being led by a Batarian named Baalar. He is ruthless and aggressive. He has killed dozens of colonists and soldiers in this system. He needs to be stopped and we will do whatever must be done to do it." Governor Threk declared as he led Ventius to the Benning military command center.

"Governor, the Batarians are attacking the Arcturus Station again." One of the soldiers said to the governor.

"We have a number of fighter jets, a detachment of soldiers and a Thanix Cannon at your disposal Spectre." The governor said meaning Ventius was now in command of the counter-offensive against the batarian pirates.

"Get the Thanix online and prepped. I want fighters striking that ship every chance they get. Get a shuttle and I will lead the soldiers on board. We will take out any batarian pirates who get in our way. We will take the command bridge and capture their leader Baalar if possible. Understood? Alright let's move out." Ventius said as he made his way back outside towards the shuttle.

"Spectre we are yours to command. Sergeant Blake Hanson of the Benning military sir." A man said as he approached Ventius.

Ventius nodded and motioned for the soldiers to board the shuttle as if began to lift off the ground a follow the fighter escort that would lead them to the batarian ship above the Arcturus Station.

The fighters fired on the batarian ship, just as the ship primed it weapons and fired back.

The shuttle passed through the fighting and chaos around them, a fighter getting struck beside them.

The shuttle turned left, just barely being struck as the fighter zoomed past, flames engulfing the small spacecraft.

Another fighter zoomed past and fired a missile at the ship, blowing a large hole into the side where what looked like the barracks was, sending batarians shooting out as a shield wall closed the hole.

The shuttle landed inside the ships hangar and the soldiers quickly exited the shuttle to clear the hangar of the batarians guarding it.

After thoroughly clearing the hangar, Ventius and Sergeant Hanson led the soldiers through the first set of doors where the hallway split into two separate directions. One left and one right.

"It's up to you sir." Hanson said to Ventius.

Ventius looked in either direction, pondering what could lie ahead in both directions.

"We split up. Hanson will take half of you and go left. The remainder will go with me to the right. Move out." Ventius said as the team split up.

The right pathway was just a series of bedrooms and storage rooms.

They found little resistance and were able to reach the reactor easily.

"That was too simple. Watch our backs. You, take point. Keep an eye out for any batarians." Ventius said as he motioned for the soldiers to keep moving.

Gunfire rang out inside the reactor as batarians came out from each and every direction, firing on Ventius and his half of the team.

"Ambush! Take cover!" Ventius shouted, but his orders went unheard as the soldiers were being picked off one by one.

"Surrender now Spectre and we might give you mercy in the form of a public execution." A voice said from atop the walkway.

A batarian walked out into the open. He was different than the other batarians. His armor wasn't the typical red. It was a gold color. He wielded a modified claymore shotgun. He had a scar going down his left eye.

"You must be Baalar. Surrender and I might not blow this ship to hell." Ventius said with a grin.

"You are making threats to me? That's swell Turian. This ship is rigged to blow already. So if you take this ship down, it crashes into the Arcturus Station, killing everyone on the station. You willing to risk that just to bring down a few pirates? By the look on your face, I'm guessing no. Tell your men to stand down. And don't even think about putting a bullet in me because either way, my men still have orders to make an "unexpected" crash landing into the Arcturus Station. Tell them." Baalar was saying to Ventius.

Ventius pulled his radio out, angered and pissed off by the circumstances, but if it came down to taking down his target, he wouldn't risk lives doing it.

"Stand down. All fighters stand down." Ventius said over the radio.

"Good. Now move." Baalar shouted, as he motioned for Ventius to follow one of the batarian pirates to the holding cells.

He hoped his plan would work. He had only told the fighters to stand down, knowing that Sergeant Hanson and his team were still onboard. If they could reach the bridge and take it over, they could change the ships course and move it away from the station.

"Sergeant. I have been captured. Reach the bridge and change the ships course." Ventius whispered into the radio as he followed the batarian.

Ventius felt the ship begin moving.

Good, the Sergeant and his team have made it to the bridge. Hopefully they can hold off any batarians who would try and retake it.

Ventius ran up behind the batarian and thrust his cuffs around his throat.

The batarian tried to fend Ventius off, but he pulled on the cuffs with all of his strength, breaking the batarian's windpipe.

He gently laid the body on the ground and unhand cuffed his hands.

Ventius grabbed the batarian's assault rifle and made his way towards the bridge.

Sergeant Hanson and his men were caught in a firefight with a group of batarians attempting to retake the bridge.

Ventius fired his assault rifle at the batarians, taking down three before the noticed him and fired back.

"How did he escape?! Kill him! Kill them all!" Baalar was shouting as he ran from the fight.

"Sergeant! Hold them off! I'm going after Baalar!" Ventius shouted.

Hanson nodded and gave an order for his men to provide Ventius with covering fire.

Ventius ran after Baalar, who was making his way to the hangar.

"Baalar hands up!" Ventius shouted just as Baalar reached the Benning shuttle.

Baalar slowly turned around with his hands in the air.

"Hahahaha! You think I am going to give up without a fight? You're mistaken." Baalar said as he tossed a grenade at Ventius.

Ventius rolled out of the way as the grenade exploded, but was unable to dodge Baalar attack, as Baalar kicked him in the face.

Baalar went to strike down at Ventius, but he quickly moved out of the way and tripped him.

Baalar fell to the ground and grabbed Ventius' leg as he tried to get up, bringing Ventius back to the ground.

Baalar pulled out a large combat knife and thrust it at Ventius.

Ventius grabbed Baalar's arm and repeatedly slammed it against the ground until he dropped the knife.

Ventius punched Baalar in the ribs and flipped him over onto his back.

He went to draw his pistol, but Baalar quickly recovered from the strike and kicked the weapon out of Ventius' hand.

Ventius ran at Baalar and tackled him to the ground and began to punch him in the face repeatedly before the batarian head-butted him, knocking him back.

Baalar swung at Ventius, striking him across the left side of his face.

He swung again, hitting him in the ribs.

Baalar grabbed the knife and charged at Ventius, who dodged it and flipped him over his back.

Baalar crashed to the ground, but quickly recovered and shot back up, kicking Ventius in the face.

Ventius fell from the blow as Baalar picked up Ventius' pistol and pointed it at him.

Ventius dodged the shot and picked up Baalar's combat knife.

He aimed it at the batarian and threw it just as the batarian went to reload the weapon.

The knife struck the batarian in the head, causing him to fall backwards and fall to the ground.

Ventius took a deep breath and exhaled, pain overcoming him.

His ribs were broken. He had a bullet in his shoulder. His nose was messed up. But the batarian leader was dead. He had accomplished his mission.

Sergeant Hanson entered the hangar and rushed over to him.

"You alright Spectre?" Hanson quickly asked, helping Ventius up.

"I'll be fine. What's the situation?" Ventius asked, as Hanson placed him on the shuttle.

"The ship is ours. The batarians who aren't dead have surrendered. The governor has sent word to the Alliance military to send a detachment of soldiers aboard to take them into custody. Governor Threk has reopened negotiations with the Alliance and Citadel Council." Hanson explained.

"Good. Go and assist your men." Ventius said, as Hanson nodded and went to return to the bridge.

"Control this is Spectre Ventius Gallus. Situation at Benning is resolved. Batarian pirates no longer a threat." Ventius said over the comm.

"Understood Spectre Ventius. Get healed up and then your presence is required on the Citadel."

The shuttle exited the batarian ship and returned Ventius to Benning.

"Good work Spectre." The governor said as he approached Ventius.

"Yeah. Real good. Got messed up pretty bad. Soldiers were killed. Arcturus Station nearly destroyed. Hah. Deal with the situation here governor. If I were you, I would accept the Alliance's terms. Or next time, you may just lose more than you bargained for." Ventius said as he got onto the Aequitas.

The Aequitas lifted off from the spaceport and Ventius set course for the Citadel." The governor said as he approached Ventius.

"Yeah. Real good. Got messed up pretty bad. Soldiers were killed. Arcturus Station nearly destroyed. Hah. Deal with the situation here governor. If I were you, I would accept the Alliance's terms. Or next time, you may just lose more than you bargained for." Ventius said as he got onto the Aequitas.

The Aequitas lifted off from the spaceport and Ventius set course for the Citadel.


	7. Target: Citadel Conspiracy

Chapter 6

Target: Citadel Conspiracy

"Spectre Ventius. You're progress thus far has been promising. You have successfully taken down a section of the Omega mercenaries, a salarian doctor conducting illegal business, a slave trade organization on Illium, and batarian pirates. There is currently a situation we need you to deal with. We believe there may be an attempt to oust us from the Citadel Council. We are unsure as to who may be behind this conspiracy, so we need you to investigate." The Turian councilor said to Ventius.

"Yes councilors. It will be done." Ventius nodded and began to leave the Citadel Tower.

His first destination was the Citadel Embassies. There he could find out if any of the political representatives was behind this conspiracy.

"Welcome to the Citadel Embassies. Here we have the offices of the diplomats, the C-Sec office, the Spectre office, the Earth Councilor's office, and the office suite." A voice was saying.

It was an Avina terminal. A VI who gives information on shops and local features. Not much use to him.

He ignored her and proceeded to the Spectre office terminal.

On the terminal was a message from a Turian diplomat, requesting his presence in the office suite.

"Welcome Spectre. I hear you have been selected for a mission by the council regarding a conspiracy to oust them from their positions. I apologize. Where are my manners? I am Primarch Gelor Gemnar. Now, I may have a lead for you. A volus named Barla Von may have information regarding the conspiracy. He deals in finance. Barla Von's real area of expertise, however, is the information trade. Here are 500 credits. You will have to buy the information from him. Good luck Spectre." The Primarch said as he showed Ventius out of the office suite.

Ventius took the elevator down to the Presidium to meet with Barla Von.

"Barla Von?" Ventius asked a volus standing behind the Elkoss Combine Arsenal Supplies shop counter.

"Yes, what can I help you with today?" the volus asked him.

Ventius handed him the credits.

"Everything you know about the conspiracy to oust the Citadel Council." Ventius said just as he handed him the credits.

Barla Von quickly pocketed the credits and stood up straight.

"Just as I was saying. A salarian Dalatrass has been speaking out against the Citadel Council and some of their decisions. You may want to start there." Barla Von said to Ventius.

Ventius returned to the Citadel Embassies and entered the salarian offices.

"Excuse me. How dare you barge in here uninvited?!" the Dalatrass was shouting at Ventius.

"Shut your mouth! Why are you conspiring to oust the Citadel Council?" Ventius angrily asked the Dalatrass.

"Oust the Council? How could I possibly oust the Council? I have no pull in the politics here. And no one will openly support me. Not even behind the scenes. You should be looking at Primarch Gemnar. He is more likely to try and oust the Council than I am." The Dalatrass said in his defense.

"What makes you say that?" Ventius asked the Dalatrass.

"Primarch Gemnar has more political pull. He has the backing. People like him and will support him. Other diplomats will support him if he asks or wills it. Did he send you after me? The nerve. He knows he is behind it. He needs a scapegoat. Someone else to throw the blame on and to take the fall if his plans fail." The Dalatrass was saying furiously.

"I will investigate the Primarch. However, I will still need to place you under arrest for treason." Ventius said as he went to handcuff the Dalatrass.

"Treason?! How dare you?! What treason have I committed?!" the Dalatrass was angrily shouting.

"Every word that comes out of your mouth that defies the Citadel Council and their decisions is treason. More so the crimes of sedition and l'ese majest'e. Come with me Dalatrass." Ventius said as he led the Dalatrass out of the salarian embassy and into the C-Sec office.

"Well what do we have here?" the C-Sec captain asked.

"The Dalatrass is under arrest for sedition and l'ese majest'e." Ventius said as he handed the Dalatrass over to the C-Sec officers.

"Understood Spectre." The captain said as he led the Dalatrass away, while Ventius left the office.

The Primarch would answer for his lies and his betrayal of the council.

"Primarch…" Ventius was saying as he entered the embassy, finding the Primarch lying dead in his office.

Who killed him? Was it someone sent by the Council because they knew it was him? Or was he innocent? Did the real conspirators send someone to kill him because he began asking questions?

Ventius called it in to C-Sec and they sent over officers to begin the crime scene sweep and clean-up after an investigation.

Ventius returned to the Presidium and stormed over to Barla Von, slamming him up against the wall behind him.

"Who else knew about the Primarch investigating the conspiracy? Who came to you?" Ventius angrily asked him.

"Umm….umm….an Elcor diplomat. Letzan. He is in the Elcor/Volus embassy." Barla Von nervously told him.

Ventius let him go and stormed off towards the Elcor embassy.

"Letzan!" Ventius shouted as he entered.

"Frightened Tone: Why are you shouting at me? What have I done wrong?" Letzan asked.

"Primarch Gemnar is dead and all evidence points to your involvement." Ventius responded.

"Confused Tone: Primarch Gemnar is dead? How would I kill him? We Elcor are not a violent people. We prefer stability over anything else. We are content with our position in the galaxy. Any evidence that says I was involved is incorrect. Who sent you to seek out the Primarch?" Letzan asked, confused about his suspected involvement.

Ventius thought about the elcor's question and knew who he had to speak with.

He rushed off back to the embassy floor and stormed into the C-Sec office.

"I need to speak with the Dalatrass. Immediately!" Ventius said to the captain.

"All right Spectre. We will set up an interrogation room for you." The Captain said as he led Ventius to the interrogation room, where the Dalatrass.

"You had the Primarch killed. He was innocent wasn't he?" Ventius asked the Dalatrass.

"Yes. He was innocent. He needed to be eliminated. He was getting in the way of progress." The Dalatrass said, with a menacing smirk.

"What progress would that be?" Ventius asked the Dalatrass.

"Things must change. They always do. That is the nature of things. The Council must change with the times. They continue to preach good-will and unity, but really work to bring down the established order. They are playing you Spectre. When you have outlived your usefulness, they will have you removed, permanently. They need you now, to do their dirty work. Yes, the people you are killing for them are wholly evil, but their intentions behind these killings are not genuine. Their true intentions behind them are to remove the competition. That is why we work to bring them down. Help us Spectre. Save the galaxy before they can destroy it. Once they are gone, we can set up a working government. One that will benefit the galaxy. That is why I speak out against them and their decisions. They seek to destroy the very fabrics of the galaxy through political means and back-alley dealings. They are using the Spectres as mercenaries for their own gain. The longer they are in power, the more damage they will do. We can still reverse the damage they have already caused. Get me out of here and I can help you." The Dalatrass explained to Ventius.

Ventius began to think about the Dalatrass' words.

What if the Council was doing as he said? Causing harm to the galaxy?

"Captain. May I have a word with you?" Ventius said as he motioned for the two of them to exit the room.

"What do you think about what the Dalatrass said in there?" Ventius asked him.

"I think it's a load of crap. That is coming from a job standpoint. If my job wouldn't be on the line, I believe some of what he is saying. The Council has made some questionable decisions as of late. Maybe they are planning something. But I won't be the one to find out." The captain replied.

"We keep the Dalatrass locked up as to not draw suspicion. If what he says ends up being true, we need the Council to think we don't know about everything. Do not, under any circumstances, tell the Dalatrass about our plan. He will blurt everything out, throwing the Council on our trail. I will continue to do as they say and when I find evidence of their actions, I will relay it to you." Ventius explained to the captain.

The Captain nodded as Ventius left the room and returned to the Council Tower.

"So, what have you found out Spectre Ventius?" the Turian councilor asked him.

"Primarch Gemnar was killed. We believe he may have been behind it." Ventius lied to him.

He needed someone to take the fall, at least until he could uncover whatever the Council was doing.

"Primarch Gemnar?! That is….I cannot believe it. I would have surely thought it was Dalatrass Umnar." The Turian councilor said, shocked by this false revelation.

"Well, you've done an excellent job. Your next assignment is on Tuchanka. Good luck Spectre Ventius." The Asari councilor said to Ventius.

He bowed his head and made for the spaceport.

I will find out what the Council is up to, and I will bring them down.


	8. Target: Clan Uragor

Chapter 7

Target: Clan Uragor

Ventius landed the Aequitas on the landing pad of Tuchanka.

Several Krogan stood guarding the platform.

Another group was approaching the landing ship.

"What business do you have on Tuchanka Turian?" one of the Krogan asked, irritated that he even had to address the likes of Ventius.

"I was sent here by the Citadel Council to deal with an ongoing situation." Ventius answered.

"We can handle our own situations. Get back on your ship and leave." The Krogan said, almost pushing Ventius backwards.

"I request an audience with your Clan Leader. Immediately." Ventius said, pushing his way through the Krogan towards the "settlement."

Scarred by bombardment craters, radioactive rubble, choking ash, salt flats, and alkaline seas, Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld, can barely support life. Thousands of years ago life grew in fierce abundance under the F-class star Aralakh (a Raik clan word meaning "Eye of Wrath"). Tree analogs grew in thick jungles, their roots growing out of shallow silty seas. Life fed upon life in an evolutionary crucible. This world died in nuclear firestorms after the krogan split the atom. A "little ice age" of nuclear winter killed off the remaining plant life. In recent centuries many krogan have returned to their homeworld. The reduced albedo has caused global temperatures to rise. In order to maintain livable temperatures, a vast shroud was assembled at the L1 Lagrange point. It is maintained by the Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission (CDEM) which is based on orbiting battlestations.

"You must be the Turian who was causing trouble on my ship platform. Welcome to Tuchanka. Anyone who stands up to Krogan and lives to talk about it is ok in my books. So what brings you to Tuchanka?" the clan leader asked Ventius.

"The Citadel Council sent me to deal with a situation regarding one of the other clans." Ventius answered.

"Citadel Council?! Bah! They have no say here. If the Council sent you, then you must be a Spectre. Oh, I almost forgot introductions. The name is Jorgal Togar. I lead Clan Jorgal. We have one of the longest krogan breeding lines in Krogan history. I continue that legacy. Now you said something about a situation with another clan. Which clan might that be?" Togar asked Ventius.

"I believe they said Clan Uragor." Ventius replied.

"Uragor?! Gives me a bad taste in my mouth. Or that might be the pyjak meat I ate earlier. I don't know. Anyways, I give you permission to pursue Clan Uragor. Take one of our Makos. Their base is in the outskirts. I believe it is located in an abandoned military base or some nonsense like that. Captain Rigor tells me a scout was taken captive by them. If you happen to find him, send him back here. We can afford to lose our numbers to a rival clan. You understand. Preservation is the name of the game around here. Preserve our legacy and preserve our blood line, though that is tough these days. But, on to the point. Good Luck Spectre. Remember, leave enough alive, so when we go in to clean up your mess, we can assimilate the survivors of their clan into our own clan." Togar said to Ventius.

Ventius nodded and followed one of the Krogan over to the Mako.

He handed Ventius a map and a radio.

Ventius entered the Mako and began to make his way to Clan Uragor's hideout.

The terrain was bumpy and filled with cracks and craters. Broken bridges littered the roadway.

There were rumors that a different assortment of creatures aside from the Krogan called the planet of Tuchanka home.

Even the mighty and dangerous, Thresher Maw could call this place home.

Thresher maws are solitary creatures; two or three at most can be found on a single planet. They live alone in nests spanning large areas underground. They can grow in excess of 30 meters above the ground, with a body nearly twice that size beneath the surface. The body of an adult thresher maw never entirely leaves the ground; only the head and tentacles erupt from the ground to attack.

Aggressive and highly territorial, thresher maws feed by absorbing significant quantities of solar radiation and survive best on planets, asteroids or moons with little or no atmosphere. They also consume minerals and ores from the ground itself for use in an unusual form of photosynthesis. This metabolic process, utilizing solar radiation and minerals as raw materials, creates the fuel that powers their various biological processes and allows them to move their significant mass with surprising speed.

Due to their size, and their burrowing method of movement, thresher maws are mostly immobile above ground, but can move at incredible velocities through subterranean environments. They can absorb a tremendous amount of damage and are very hard to kill. Their attacks consist of spitting a powerful, viscous acid that splashes on contact, burrowing up from beneath their prey, and smashing their targets with their claws in close range while emitting infra sound. Due to the overwhelming, direct physical nature of their attacks, shields are completely ineffective at mitigating any damage that is taken.

The Krogan base lay just a few hundred yards away, but Ventius had stopped to scope out the place from a distance, in case they had any exterior defenses.

A few guards patrolled the base's exterior, but it was nothing Ventius couldn't handle.

He got back into the Mako and drove closer to the base.

"What do you think you're doing here?" one of the guards angrily asked Ventius as he approached him.

Rather than come up with some excuse, Ventius decided to just pull out his gun and take out the guards.

He then proceeded into the base and decided it was best to use stealth from here on in.

A Krogan scout went to check up on the situation outside, but Ventius quickly and quietly took him out.

He continued through the building, avoiding the rest of the interior defenses and finally reaching the bases command center.

"Welcome Spectre!" Ventius heard a voice say from above.

On the steel walkway above, stood a Krogan wearing a ceremonial helmet and armor.

"You must be the leader of Clan Uragor." Ventius said to the Krogan as he slowly walked further into the command center.

"I don't have time for niceties and formalities. Your head will fetch a pretty hefty price among black market dealers. My clan will be the most powerful clan on Tuchanka if I am able to successfully kill a Spectre." The Uragor clan leader said to Ventius.

"That is only IF you are successful." Ventius said, just as he fired a round at the Krogan.

The Krogan just barely dodged the round, the wall behind him being struck by the high-powered sniper rifle shot.

The Krogan jumped down and charged at Ventius.

Ventius fired a few rounds which struck the Krogan, but he kept charging at him.

Ventius was knocked back, falling through one of the tables as the Krogan struck him.

"Hahaha! Not so sure of yourself now are we Spectre?!" the Krogan shouted as he charged again at Ventius.

This time, Ventius was able to move out of the way.

The Krogan crashed into the wall and held his head in pain.

Ventius drew his knife and jumped on the Krogan's back, stabbing him in the side of the neck.

The Krogan tossed Ventius over his head, slamming him into the wall.

Ventius slowly got up as the Krogan fell to the floor, pulling the knife out of his neck and tossing it aside.

Before the Krogan could get up, Ventius fired another round at the Krogan, this time striking him in the temple.

The Krogan's body slumped to the ground in front of the center command console.

Ventius went to retrieve his knife, when he heard a bang and his vision blurred.

He turned around to see what had happened and was struck in the face by the butt of a gun.

"Tie him up and get him aboard the ship!" a voice ordered as Ventius fell into unconsciousness.


End file.
